Thus He Told His Sons
by Glyphron
Summary: A sweet and sad one shot. Fenris's twin sons are desperate to have their curiosity sated. There is much they wish to know. But, the first thing they should know may not be easy to take.


Fenris looked upon the little boys, his little boys. Both bearing nearly white, platinum blonde locks, as unruly as his own and his tan skin tone. Twins, the difference between the two was in their eyes. One boasted the amber color of his mother's eyes, the other his father's storm swept leaf green. The child with his mother's eyes, also took after her magical nature. Whereas the other seemed to have the strength and aptitude of a developing warrior. Both were HIS sons and equally loved.

For a moment, he only stared, intrigued by their sudden demands.

"Please Father..." Etrius pleaded, amber irises nearly watering.

Fenris's own locked onto his, seeing Marianna in them.

"Yes, please..." His brother, Ayan, repeated the plea.

He offered a glance at the other, pondering, for a moment, his answer. With a sigh of surrender, he turned and moved to his chair, taking a seat with care. Motioning to them gently, they moved close and looked on with eager expressions. Fenris could not meet either's gaze. Focusing, instead on the emptiness of the air around him. Visualizing what he desperately wished they could all see.

"She was like a ray of sun, a light that could not be snuffed out."

He pictured her eyeing him attentively like she'd always done whenever he spoke. She enjoyed listening to him speak, she'd told him that once.

"Where other mages would fall to the lure of demons and blood magic, she was strong. She stayed pure to her ideals. She was always doing her best to help, despite the need to hide. As much as she tried, she could not pass someone in need without taking action."

He paused, drawing a breath that trembled slightly. His sons said nothing, afraid any prompt to continue would make him stop indefinitely. They merely stood patiently, absorbing and reveling in the information as it came.

"She was beautiful, warm like summer days. Neither tall nor short, her skin was pale, and her eyes as amber as yours, Etrius. Her hair was a soft blonde and she bore scarlet tattoos. Markings that always reminded me of a bird in pattern. Always wearing lip color the shade of garnets."

He tried his best to paint a picture of her for them.

"Where did she go?" Ayan asked, barely audible.

"During our adventures together, there came a time when we were forced to enter the Deep Roads in search of one they called Corypheus. She was being hunted by his followers and we had gone to put a stop to it. We slew him, or so we thought. But the demon somehow endured...

He returned, threatening not only all of Thedas, but the entire world. You both were less than a year old. At Varric's request, she stowed away in the night to seek out the Inquisition, leaving us behind. She intended to protect us, and to correct her past failing to kill him in the past.

There came a point where they got trapped within the fade, or so I am told. In order for the others to escape, someone had to stay behind and hold Corypheus back..."

His breath came in harshly, his heart twisting. Beside him, his sons stared at him with hearts begging to be told she'd come home one day.

"You're mother... She stayed behind to keep Corypheus back. To atone for releasing him... To keep us safe..."

"If she's in the fade, couldn't we find her? I mean, magic can do all sorts of things... We could find her and rescue her. Bring her home!" Ayan lit up with hope.

Fenris gave him a pained look, tears threatening to fall.

"It isn't that simple, my son."

"I could try, Father. My magic has to be able to do something..."

He shook his head, "I doubt it would make any difference. She has been trapped for so long... She is-"

"That isn't fair! What good is magic then?!" Ayan yelled, and the young boy ran off.

Left standing before his father, Etrius simply began to cry. Both children drowning in anguish. Fenris drew his weeping child into his arms, failing to keep his own tears back. But, trying to comfort the boy none the less. Later, he would go in search of Ayan, and attempt to console him as well.

Like his father, he tended to seclude himself when confronted with things difficult to take. Fenris knew that, trying to talk to him now would only aggravate his feelings. It was best to let him breathe.

As he held onto to Etrius's sobbing form, he came to the conclusion that, despite the sadness it brought them, it was time they knew of Marianna and what had transpired. They deserved to know their mother, even if she were not here with them. Perhaps, later, they would come asking again. And he would let these barriers that held him back fall away. Recounting every detail of her he had and all the tales of where they had gone together. And he could once again relive those thrilling moments spent in her company, see her face again. Even if just in his mind.

For now, however, their boys needed him to soothe their aching need for her.


End file.
